The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Spathiphyllum plant, botanically known as Spathiphyllum hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is the product of a breeding program carried out by the inventors Ann E. Lamb, David R. Lilly and Randy L. Allamand. The new cultivar named xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 is the result of a cross made in Apopka, Fla. in November of 1993. The female parent was a selection of Spathiphyllum xe2x80x98Mauna Loaxe2x80x99 known in the commercial trade as xe2x80x98Lindaxe2x80x99 (unpatented). The male parent was a plant, found among seedling-derived Spathiphyllum xe2x80x98Mauna Loaxe2x80x99 named xe2x80x98Vibrantxe2x80x99 (unpatented) which was selected and maintained by the inventors and used only for breeding purposes.
The new cultivar named xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 was discovered and selected by the inventors from a group of seedlings of the stated cross in Homestead, Fla. on Feb. 26, 1996. Propagation by tissue culture in the laboratories of Twyford Plant Laboratories, Inc., in Sebring, Fla., under the supervision of the inventors, was used to increase the number of plants for evaluation and has demonstrated the stability of the combination of characteristics as herein described are firmly fixed and reproduces true to type from generation to generation.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 which in combination distinguish this Spathiphyllum as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Plants are large and ideally suited for pot sizes of 20 cm or larger;
2. Leaves are dark-green, large and broad with a shiny surface;
3. Spathes are large, ovate, cupped and are held just above the foliage on thick, sturdy peduncles. The spathes are pale green in color when newly open, becoming green with age; and
4. Foliage is well adapted to commercial shipping practices because it is flexible and does not damage easily.
xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength, without any change in genotype.
Of the commercial cultivars known to the inventors, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 is the cultivar xe2x80x98Gorgusis No. 1xe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,964 and known in the commercial trade as xe2x80x98Sensation Rxe2x80x99). In comparison to xe2x80x98Gorgusis No. 1xe2x80x99, the leaves of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 have a shinier surface than the leaves of xe2x80x98Gorgusis No. 1xe2x80x99. The growth habit of xe2x80x98Gorgusis No. 1xe2x80x99 is more upright than that of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99. The foliage of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 is flexible while the foliage of xe2x80x98Gorgusis No. 1xe2x80x99 is often brittle.
The female parent xe2x80x98Lindaxe2x80x99 is a large, upright growing variety used in 10-14 inch pots, with broad dark green leaves and large, bright white spathes held above the foliage. In comparison to xe2x80x98Lindaxe2x80x99, xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 is a larger plant and has larger, broader leaves with very glossy and shiny surfaces.
The male parent xe2x80x98Vibrantxe2x80x99 is a very large plant with very large, shiny leaves and green spathes which are held just above the foliage. In comparison to xe2x80x98Vibrantxe2x80x99, the growth habit of Spathiphyllum xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 is more upright and compact, and plants of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 are more likely to branch than those of xe2x80x98Vibrantxe2x80x99. The spathes of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99 are pale green when newly open. The spathes of xe2x80x98Vibrantxe2x80x99 are darker green when newly open, and are larger than those of xe2x80x98Grand Dadxe2x80x99.